The incident took place about 2 a.m. near the intersections of Fig and North avenues.

The worker was coming home from his job at the Cargill meat plant. Lt. Joe Gomez said the man had pulled over to talk to a friend on a phone when he was approached by two men, one of whom threw what appeared to be a concrete block at his side window. One man pulled open the victim’s door, struck him with a handgun and dragged him out. Both men began to kick him.

Gomez a dispatcher received a call from the woman on the other side of the victim’s phone chat. She said the man shouted, “They are going to kill me.” She then heard a male voice say, “We killed him,” and phone disconnected.

Officers then began a search for the car and the victim.

The victim said one bandit then put a gun to his back while the second searched his car. The victim was asked repeatedly for money but told the robbers he had none.

He said he was forced into the trunk and locked inside, then the pair drove off in his car. When the car stopped and the victim could hear the bandits talking, he pulled an emergency trunk release, ran into an orchard, then sought help at a house. The homeowner called police.

Fresno County sheriff’s deputies went to the 6600 block of South Elm Avenue and found the victim, who was taken to Community Regional Medical Center and treated for cuts to his forehead and other minor injuries. Deputies also found the car, which had been abandoned near Fig and Clayton avenues.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP.

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